the year 1650, he happened to put in at the Vineyard, and tarried there about ten days. He attends Mr. Mayhew to a more private Indian meeting; and the next day to the Indian lecture, where Mr. Mayhew preached, and then catechifed the children, who answered readily, and modeftly in the principles of religion, fome of them anfwering in the English, and others in the Indian tongue. Then Mr. Whitfield adds the following lines, which fet Mr. Mayhew's character, as a gen tleman of piety, benevolence, zeal, industry and felf-denial in a very fair point of light. "Thus having feen a fhort model of his way, and of the pains he took, I made fome enquiry about Mr. Mayhew himself, and about his fubfiftence, because I faw but a small, and flender appearance of outward conveniences of life, in any comfortable way. The man himself is modeft, and I could get little from him; but after I underftood from others how fhort things were with him, and how he was many times forced to labor with his own hands, having a wife and three small children, who depended upon him to provide neceffa ries for them; having not half fo much yearly coming in, as an ordinary laborer gets there among them; yet he is chearful amidst these straits, and none hear him complain. The truth is, he will not leave the work, in which his heart is engaged; for on my knowledge, if he would have left the work, and employed himself elsewhere, he might have had a more comfortable maintenance. I mention this the rather, because I have fome hope, that fome pious mind, that reads this, might be inwardly moved to confider his condition, and come to his fuccour for his en couragement in this great work," "Bleffed is that fervant, whom, when his Lord cometh, he fhall find fo doing." (To be continued.) Nymphas to Sofipater. (Continued from p. 332.) LETTER II. N the prefent eventful period, IN at this folemn crifis, when iniquity abounds and blafphemy grows bold; when the most dangerous errors prevail and a deluge of infi delity is fpreading through our na tion and through Christendom; it would feem impoffible any believer in revelation, who loves the Lord Jefus in fincerity, and feels ftrong wishes for the falvation of finners, can indulge to floth. Rather it would feem he must feel deep, folemn concern to do every thing which can be done at any expenfe, at a risk of all dangers which may threaten. Never, never were the gates of hell more moved, never were the enemies of religion more thoroughly awake and active, than at the prefent time, while the unclean fpirits like frogs are going out to the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. In this moft folema crifis, when the powers of darkness, are all awake and the enemies of Chrift are in motion, vigoroufly exerting themfelves to exterminate the name of the bleffed Jefus and his religion from the world, fhall his few friends fleep on and take their reft? Shall they defert his standard at fuch a time as this, be lukewarm and indifferent in his caufe, and be forgetful of Zion? Rather they fhould be all awake, all zeal, all activity in the glorious caufe they have espoused, and if poffible, go beyond their enemies | vantages for making great improve. ments in divine science. in the ardor of their exertions and the fervor of their zeal. At fuch a time they should watch, take the whole armour of God, stand in their lots and keep their garments, left they walk naked and their fhame be feen. At fuch a time, it behoves them to lean on the arm of their almighty Saviour, to repofe on his power, to have recourse to his fulness, to be replenished with his grace, and to drink in large measures of his Spirit that they may ftand in this evil day, and like good foldiers under the great Captain of our falvation, fight the good fight of faith. I wish you to believe me when I tell you, that to come to the help of the Lord against the mighty, to exert yourself to arrest the progreft of error and infidelity, and to lay out yourself for the upbuilding of Zion in thefe troublefome times, it is not neceffary that you be in fome elevated station, or that you receive your education under some renowned Gamaliel of the prefent day. As a volunteer in the army of the King of Zion, you and every Chriftian are defignated to be a witness to the truth, to hold forth the word of life, to fight the good fight of faith, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the faints. It is as really your duty on in his army. Do you ask, how you may and ought to exert yourfelf? I can only fay in brief, by clofely following Chrift your leader, by breathing his spirit and treading in his fteps. His word of command to his whole army and to you is, follow me. In look Do you not, my friend, when you look around and contemplate the prefent fad state of things and the horrors of that increafing dark-as it is the duty of the best champi nefs which broods over Chriftendom, feel the benign influence of love to Chrift, to his dear Zion and to the fouls of men fweetly conftraining you to exert yourself if any thing can be done by you, to oppofe error, and to arreft the progrefs of infidelity? I have confidence you do. But I think I hearing to him, the great Author and you faying with yourself, what can I do in my humble ftation, and with my abilities? If the Lord had placed me in fome confpicuous ftation, bleffed me with brilliant powers of mind, and favored me with a literary education, I might with fome profpect of fuccefs exert myself. But being what I am in my humble ftation, what, alas! what can I do? Will you fuffer me, my dear fir, to affure you, much of duty lies upon you, the Lord juftly looks for much from you, and much, through the Lord's grace may be done by you, though you are placed in the common walks of life, and have not been favored with any very special ad Finisher of the faith, you keep him full in your view, and watch all his motions and actions, and learn of and follow him. You will a&t a worthy part in the grand conteft now depending, and your Lord will foon fay, "Well done good and faithful, to you it is given to fit with me on my throne, and to reign with me forever and ever." He the great Author of the faith delivered to the faints, could say, "To this end was I born, and for this caufe came I into the world to bear witness to the truth." It is your honer that you are fet for the defence and confirmation of the gofpel, to bear witness to the very fame truth, and to hold it out to the world, and you are to bear witnefs and give in your tef timony in the fame way, that is, by faying, doing and fuffering. He has left you his own example, as well as his commands, for your directory. With his example in view and his precepts, it is evident as the light, that you are not to contend by fire and fword, but by an open, bold profeffion of the faith. He was not afhamed of the fee more and more the importance of the controverfy now depending, and by his grace difpofe you to contend earneftly for the faith once delivered to the faints, is the earneft with and prayer of yours, &c. Thoughts on Romans vi. 14. "For ye are not under the law; but under grace." tle, and directed it to all HE apoftle wrote this epif that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be faints. He fent it to them, to awaken their zcal and faithfulnefs in the fervice of Chrift. In the paffage under confideration, it was the object of the apostle to perfuade his readers to perfect obedience to God, as may be seen by reading the paragraph. The phrase gofpel. He was active, perfever. ing and indefatigable in diffufing divine knowledge, in fpreading the fweet light far and wide, and he was ready to do and fuffer, to fpend and be spent, to live and die for the diffufion of the heavenly light, for the fpread and furtherance of the gospel. O how much did he fay, do and fuffer for the truth's fake, which is the glorious foundation on which Zion refts and the happiness of his eternal kingdom. In this way, you are to give in your testimony and if calJed, feal it with your best blood. You are with the greatest advan tage to hold out the truth, in word and deed. Your fpeech fhould be always with grace, your tongue fhould be like the tree of life you are to walk in the truth-you are to exemplify its beauty, energy, and benign influence by a living example, by a converfation becoming the gospel, and you are readily to make any facrifice of eafe, honor and pleafure you are called to you are to be ready to part with any thing, however dear, yea, with every thing-yea with life itself, if called thereto. this way, you are to come to the. help of the Lord against the pow-ple it under foot. But has not ers of darkness, and all the fcof fers of the prefent day. In this manner are you to contend for the faith once delivered to the faints. That the Lord may enable you to not under the law,' therefore cannot mean that faints in this world are not under indifpenfible obligations to conform in all things to the requifitions of the divine law, as much as if there had been no way of grace opened for men. Chrift, the author of grace to man, came to magnify the law, and make it honorable, not to fink it into contempt, by abfolving his people from obedience to it. For God to difpenfe with his law, would be to open the floodgates of iniquity and mifery upon his creatures. It furely was not to procure this, that he fent his Son into the world. He came not to give his people unbounded licence, but to fave them from their fins. God has not made a moft excellent and neceffary law, and then taught his people to tram grace reduced the law from its too great ftrictnefs; fo that God will accept imperfect obedience, and juftify his people upon that? Can it be thought that God will fuffer his people to be licentious to a certain degree, and justify them in it? or that, if we are unwilling to yield entire obedience to his will, he will accept of that which is imperfect, of a small degree of obedience, of that which we are willing to render him? Will he by doing this, openly acknowledge that his law is too ftrict? Did Christ die to atone for the crime of having made a law too rigid and fevere? By no means. God will not thus confpire with his enemies to link his law, difhonor his name, and ruin his own kingdom. No man will ever be juftified for imperfect obedience. If imperfect creatures are ever juftified, their righteousness will be no part of the grounds of their acceptance. Nor does the confideration, that believers are not under the law, but under grace, render obedience to the law of lefs importance. The Jaw was ordained against fin, because it is in its own nature and direct tendency reproachful to God, and injurious to the happinefs of his kingdom and certainly it is no lefs reproachful and injurious in its direct tendency, when committed by those who are not under the law, but under grace; than by those who are under the law. Has the mercy of God to believers leffened their obligations to holiness, or made it of lefs importance that they fhould be holy as he is holy? Inftead of this, it has greatly increased them. In what respects then are the faints not under the law? They are not under it as a convenant of works. They do not hope for juftification on account of any obedience to it, perfect or imperfect: They plead guilty, and confider themselves juftly condemned by it to eternal wrath, and their hopes of acceptance with God are on other grounds. They are under grace, in diftinction from the law, in that they hope for justification as matter of mere mercy. They truft in an atonement and right coufnefs wrought out by Chrift, and are affured that all who con demn themselves, and cast themfelves upon Chrift by faith, shall be juftified freely on his account; and they hope for juftification by the covenant of grace and not of works. They are already under grace, and are juftified by it, and made heirs of the promifes.-Therefore, Believers are not under the law in this refpect, they are not subject to its curfe on account of any paft or future difobedience to it, or however great their fins. Chrift is the end of the law for righteoufnefs to them that believe. Though the obligations of the law, as a rule of life, are as indispensible as ever, yet believers are forever delivered from its curfe. They are not ab folved from obedience to the law, but are justified by grase. But it is faid, that this idea, of being forever juftified from all fin, paft or to come, is very dangerous, because men will take licence from it to indulge themselves in their lufts, with the hopes of impunity. The apostle noticed this objection in the next verfe. "What then? fhall we fin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." It is acknowledged that men may abuse this doctrine. It is acknowledged that they do abuse it. Careless finners, because they hope for pardon, are much more quiet in their fins, and becaufe fentence against an evil work is not fpeedily executed, their hearts are fully fet in them to do evil. Hypocrites are often known to indulge themselves in their lusts, and live without any regard to the power and fpirituality of religion, fin, on the prefumption that I hoped that God would pardon me? Have I not lived more quietly in rebellion against the law and au thority of God, becaufe I confidered him a merciful being? Have I not done this every day from my youth upwards? Has any confideration given me half fo much relief and eafe of mind, in finning against God, and rejecting Christ, and trifling with every thing facred, as the confideration that God is gracious and merciful? If fo, what a wretch am I? How depraved and defperately wicked my heart? What greater evidence can I have that I am a child of because they do not confider them- | felves under the law. They fay in their hearts, what is it to us how much we abuse God, fo long as Chrift is our furety. And it might be wished that real Chriftians were never fo low, as to be guilty of fomething of the fame nature. But in the main it has a quite contrary effect upon them. So far as they are renewed, they are no longer mercenary fervants, but have the ingenuous fpirit of children; their hearts are drawn by the cords of love; they are exceedingly affected with the infinite mercy of God, and are more effectually drawn by his grace into holiness and obedience to his law, than they could be dri-wrath? And what more powerful ven to it by terror. God treats men as they are. If they can be influenced by no motive but terror, they are kept under the law; but when he fees in them an ingenuous fpirit, he uses the mosive of mercy to excite them to their duty. If then, people find that they take licence to fin, because they conceive that they are not under law, but under grace, it should convince them, that they are not under grace, but are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on them. It is only when this confideration excites them more effectually to deny themselves, and take up their crofs, and follow Chrift, that they have reafon to conclude that they are under grace. It is not therefore in itfelf a dangerous doctrine, motive to give all diligence to agree with my adverfary quickly, while I am in the way with him, left I be caft into that prifon, from which I can never efcape, till I have paid the uttermoft farthing. MIKROS. Thoughts on Luke xvi. 8, 9. "THE lord commended the done wifely for the children of unjuft fteward, becaufe he had this world are in their generation wifer than the children of light.felves friends of the mammon of And I fay unto you, make to yourunrighteoufnefs; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." by which to judge ourfelves, whe-fage. It is important that men ferioufly confult their confciences on this fubject. Let a man ask himself, have I never indulged myfelf in ANY have found difficulty Some perverfe and avaricious minds, ufe it as a warrant for their felfifhnefs. Others, to avoid this inconfiftency with the current of fcripture, fuppofe, that the conduct of the fteward was the effect of his repentance, for his extortions on his master's customers. Both of which, I conceive, are totally wrong: And, fome oth |